Please try to treat the dental visit as a very routine part of your child’s week. If you exhibit anxiety about your child’s upcoming dental visit, he or she will probably become anxious also.

Avoid using any anxiety-provoking words such as needle, drill, or shot. We use a special vocabulary and other techniques designed to make the dental experience as pleasant as possible for your child. Please don’t promise a reward for not crying, this may make him fear the upcoming experience even more.

If your child ask specific questions that you cannot answer, please tell him to ask us. We always tell our patients what will be done before we begin. We use a technique know as Tell-Show-Do. Remember we use terminology that is non-threatening. Most children do not even know they have received an injection, even after the appointment is over. Indeed some children who need extractions are surprised to find out when their appointment is over that the tooth is out! We feel is is best to continue the use of non-threatening language following the appointment in order to maintain your child’s confidence in his/her ability to successfully have dental care completed.